Something There
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: They both dared not speak it aloud, nor did they bother hiding it. But there was certainly something there that wasn't there before.


**Prettyinpinkgal: Hello! This is my first Beauty and the Beast fanfic. I've been reading fanfiction for it a lot lately, and I felt inspired to do this. Please review!**

**Also, please be aware that it has been _years _since I've watched "Beauty and the Beast", so some facts (or many) may be off. Unfortunately, I don't have the VHS tape anymore, and it's not on TV. Honestly, you'd think they'd show such a classic movie on at least Toon Disney or something! They show things like "Tarzan" (which I do love as well) and "Alice in Wonderland" (another good movie) but when it comes to a family favorite like "Beauty and the Beast"? Of course they wouldn't show it!**

**Okay, I'm finished ranting. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast. So no sueing!**

**SOMETHING THERE**

Belle rubbed her eyes as she slowly woke up. As she slowly came to, she sat up in bed. It was only just dawn, but Belle was wide awake. She did her usual routine of going to her window, shivering slightly from the cold, and gave a huge smile when she saw that the world was in a blanket of white.

She quickly washed up, and woke up Wardrobe.

Groaning, she woke up. "What is it, dearie?"

"I'm sorry to wake you so early, but I wanted to get changed," Belle said apologetically.

"It's alright," the object said with a yawn. "What type of outfit are you looking for?"

"Something to go outside in, please," Belle replied. She patiently waited as the half-asleep closet searched for the dress meeting the requirement. Wardobe picked out a warm and casual gown, thicker than Belle's typical blue dress, and handed it to Belle.

"The others should be up in about a half hour. I'll see you in a few hours," Wardobe said, falling back to sleep.

Changing, Belle left her room and walked down the winding hallways of the castle she had lived in for already a few months. The servants were all very kind to her.

And then there was him. The Beast. The master of this castle. She had been terrified of him when they first met, and he once scared her away from the castle. But he saved her life, and ever since that evening when she was tending to his wounds, they had been spending more and more time together. He could still be rude and rather arrogant (_He's like Gaston a bit, _Belle mused, _although not nearly as irritating._), but he was gradually beginning to show an awkward, kinder side.

Some people would think she was crazy (although many people from her village already thought she was), but Belle felt more herself with the Beast than with any other person she knew outside of her family. "I wonder why," Belle murmered as she walked down the steps.

"Ah, good morning, mademoiselle!" a voice said, interrupting Belle's thoughts. She turned and saw Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Cogsworth, the candle's fire flickering as he moved towards Belle.

"You're up quite early," Cogsworth noted.

Belle smiled at her friends. "Good morning! I woke up and saw the snow outside. I'm not tired at all, so I'm going to be going out for a while," she replied.

"Splendid! Ah, the master's at the table having breakfast. When he's done, you should ask him to go with you," Cogsworth suggested.

"I don't know..." Belle said, thinking. She didn't want to bother him; even if they were getting along better, she still was slightly cautious in case he got another temper tantrum.

"Go ahead, Belle!" the little cup said.

"Yes, go ahead, dearie. I'm sure he won't mind. Oh, but you must be hungry. I'll go get some breakfast started for you," Mrs. Potts stated as she motioned for the other objects to follow her.

"Thank you!" Belle said as she turned to go sit and eat with the beast.

* * *

The bewitched prince sat at the table, messily slurping up his meal. A gentle, clear knock reached the Beast's ears. He perked up, wiped his mouth with his furry arm, and demanded the identity of the person who knocked.

A small, cautious head poked in. Beast's eyes widened, surprise written all over his face. Belle said rather shyly, "Um--good morning. I was just going to have breakfast--" _Of course you're here to have breakfast. Why else would you be in the dining hall? _she mentally chided herself, "--but if I'm bothering you, I'll just leave..."

"No, stay," he replied hastily, before he realized what he was saying. He cleared his throat. "I don't mind if you have breakfast here..." The unsaid _with me _ran through his head, and he was glad that his fur covered up his blush.

"Oh. Well, thank you." Belle sat down, and received her food. She sipped her porridge with a ladylike manner, but paused as she watched Beast gobble his porridge with vigor, causing some of his coat to become covered with his meal. She let out a giggle.

Upon hearing her small laughter, Beast looked up to see her smiling at him. Again, he was grateful for his fur. He couldn't believe he had just acted so...beastlike in front of her.

Realizing that Beast had stopped eating, Belle thought for a moment. Then, "Here. Bon appetit," she said, raising her bowl.

The Beast caught on. With a smile, a smile that only she could bring onto his face, he raised his bowl in a toast. The two drank from their bowls together.

* * *

After they finished dining, Beast got up to leave. "I'll...see you later, then," he said gruffly for lack of anything else to say. He turned towards the door.

Belle spoke up. This was most likely the first time she enjoyed being in his company. "Wait! Would you like to come outside with me?"

Beast raised a furry eyebrow. "Outside? There's snow outside," he pointed out.

Belle nodded. "Yes, and that's exactly why I want to go outside! I love the snow. And ice! I love going ice skating! Would you like to come with me?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The Beast looked at her, startled by her genuine enthusiasm as well as the fact that she wanted to spend more time with him. Perhaps she simply pitied him--she certainly was the type of person to pity a beast--but whatever the reason, he would be more than happy to spend time with her.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Alright."

"That's great! I'll just go get my cloak and we can go!" Once she was ready, the two set out.

Once the beauty and the Beast were outside, the servants cheered. Chip looked up at his mother. "Mama, what's so different about today?" he asked. "The master usually never wants to go outside, especially when there's snow out. He hates how it gets his fur wet."

Mrs. Potts replied cryptically, "It seems there's something there that wasn't there before." She gave her confused son a smile. Before the last petal of the rose falls, her little boy could be human, and she could have arms to hug him with!

* * *

Belle gingerly stroked the bird on her finger, careful as to not startle the creature. The Beast watched from a slight distance. The young woman before him was so gentle that birds came right over to her with scarcely any hesitation. Few people had that ability.

How long had it been since he'd seen birds at the castle? It must have been years. He hadn't seen any since he'd first been turned into a monster. Nothing gentle like birds would stay near a castle with a monster inside.

But Belle was changing life here. The once-fearsome castle was now just a bit brighter. The servants smiled more, and even he began to give a small grin when she was with him. Now even the birds were back. Could she really be the one to break the spell?

No. That was too much to hope for. Even a girl like Belle would never want to be with a monster.

He looked away from Belle, disgusted with himself. How could he ever even consider that she would be the one? It would be far too good to be true.

...And yet, she had willingly stayed at the castle.

She could have left again. Perhaps it was fear of the wolves attacking that kept her in this prison. _There's certainly no other explanation for it, _Beast growled mentally, trying to remove such stupid thoughts as Belle saving them.

"Beast?"

Her sweet voice broke through his dark thoughts, and he turned to look at her again. Her large eyes were filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Not many people can get birds to come over to them," he said, turning the topic away from himself.

Belle nodded, a content smile on her face. "I love birds. They can fly anywhere they please, without having to worry about danger. Except for hunters," she said with a frown, irritation flickering in her eyes.

"Did you have a bad experience with a hunter?" he asked, noticing her reaction. "Or do you just dislike how they kill animals?"

"Both," Belle replied irritably.

Beast blinked in surprise. He'd only seen her act like this on a few occasions. She only shows she's angry when she's _really _mad.

Belle continued, throwing some bread crumbs for the birds to eat. "I know we have to eat, so I can understand that hunters need to kill some animals for us to have food on the table. But what I _really _hate is when an animal is killed just to have its head on a wall!" She began throwing crumbs a bit harder. "And yes, I did have a bad experience with a hunter. His name is Gaston, and he's the most horrible, annoying, self-centered man I've ever had the misfortune of meeting! He was the village's most respected man, and everyone loved him, especially the girls because he was 'so strong and handsome'. He hung animal heads in the tavern and bragged about how he killed this animal and how he bravely fought that one. The worst part about him was that he was a bachelor!"

If Belle's dislike for the man hadn't been so great, Beast might have felt a little annoyed by the fact that Belle was talking so much about another man. And that he was single. In fact, even though he knew it was ridiculous, he did feel a bit jealous.

"What made that such a bad thing?" Beast asked, wishing they could move on to a different topic. But this was the first time they had a conversation this long, so he wasn't about to be the one to end it. Besides, he had no idea what else to talk about.

Belle scowled. It was almost laughable how out-of-place the scowl was on her face. Before, the Beast used to always scowl himself. It made him look fearsome, judging by the way the servants reacted whenever they saw him. But when Belle did it, it made her look rather adorable.

Beast shook his head, his mane flying. What on earth was he thinking?

Belle ranted on, not noticing the Beast. "Because he kept on pursuing ME! I didn't care for him at all, and yet he kept going after me! Before I left for the castle, he had even proposed to me! The nerve! Normally I would break it to him gently, that I was sorry but I had no feelings for him. But he was so arrogant! He assumed because everyone else adored him, I would accept! And not only that, but he would throw my books in the mud, saying that I should keep my nose out of the books because women shouldn't read!" She paused to take a breath, then stopped, blushing as she realized how awful she must sound.

"Um, I'm sorry," Belle said sheepishly to the Beast. She had almost forgotten he was there, so caught up was she in her rant.

"No, it's alright," Beast hastily said. They sat in awkward silence for a while, then the Beast said, "So you like to read?"

Belle looked at him, grateful that he broke the ice. "Yes, very much so."

"I never heard of a woman reading before," Beast said carefully. He did not add that he himself, although he had been a man, had never read.

"Yes, I suppose it's not exactly common. Most people think that a woman is only good for cleaning and being a wife and raising children. In fact, the people in my village all thought I was strange because I liked to read." Her eyes grew a bit sad, homesick and hurt by the villagers' rejection.

"What sort of books do you read?" A plan was forming in the Beast's head.

"Oh, all kinds. Mainly fairy tales, with magic and romance. It's sort of silly, but I used to always dream of my own Prince Charming or my knight in shining armor coming to rescue me from my boring life in the village."

And now she was stuck with a hideous beast. They both silently acknowledged it. So much for her dream.

They talked a bit more. Beast watched the beautiful woman beside him, listening as she told about her mother's death at a young age and her father, who was always creating new inventions, although whether they worked or not was a different story. He was shocked at the knowledge and strength she had. In a strange way, they were both alike, both shunned for being different: she for her father's supposed lunacy, he for his beastly form.

"What about you?" she asked. "You must have had a family."

The Beast paused. "I did. But my parents both died when I was young."

Belle gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine," he replied gruffly, unaccustomed to such sympathy.

Again, they drifted back into awkwardness. When a few moments had passed, Belle suddenly thought of an idea and smiled mischieviously to herself. She stood up and walked a little bit away from her companion. Bending down to scoop up some snow, she then called, "Beast?"

"Yes?"

With the aim of an expert, her snowball hit him straight in the face. He shook off the sudden cold, staring at her.

Belle laughed, scooping up another snowball and throwing it at him again.

This time, the Beast was ready and able to dodge the oncoming attack. He found himself grinning--most likely it looked a bit frightening on a creature such as himself--and throwing snowballs back.

* * *

Later, the Beast was leading Belle down a hallway, his plan being commenced. By his request, she had kept her eyes shut. More than a little excitement flowed through the Beast as they approached the door. He led her inside, quickly drew open the curtains and allowed light inside the large room, then said, "Open them."

As she complied, she gasped, gazing with wonder at the volumes of books before her. Her joy was evident as she investigated some nearby tomes. "This is wonderful," she laughed. Her eyes sparkled as they met the Beast's. "Thank you."

They both dared not speak it aloud, nor did they bother hiding it. But there was certainly something there that wasn't there before.


End file.
